life_on_marsfandomcom-20200216-history
Series 1: Episode 3 (Life on Mars)
The third episode of the first series of the British time travel police procedural television series, Life on Mars, was first broadcast on 23 January 2006. The episode, known erroneously as "The Stabbing", was produced by Kudos Film & Television for BBC One. Synopsis Sam is called to a murder at a textile mill, the site of his bachelor flat in 2006. DCI Hunt suspects an outspoken union representative, but Sam tries to use his knowledge of forensic science to find the killer. Plot DI Sam Tyler and DCI Gene Hunt are called to a reported stabbing at Crester's Textiles. When they arrive, they find loom operator Jimmy Saunders lying in a pool of blood in the loom hall. Sam realises that the mill gets converted into flats in the future and that the body is lying in what will one day be his kitchen. Sam gets DC Skelton to draw the blood pattern. Works manager Arthur Coynes informs them that Saunders was working triple shifts in defiance of the union and had numerous enemies. It is pay day, but Gene shuts down the mill until the investigation is over, angering the workers. Deducing the killing was done by a man, Gene announces that the golden rule is that the first person to talk did it. Ted Bannister, the union organiser, is the first to speak, theorising that Saunders was killed for the pay roll. Gene has his man. Gene bets Sam a tenner and Watney's Party Seven that Bannister is guilty, but Sam is convinced that a forensics profile and a thorough investigative process is the only way to solve the case. DCI Litton of the Regional Crime Squad stops by to brag to Gene about a recent successful investigation reported in the local newspaper, and it's obvious there's no love lost between them. Meanwhile, DS Ray Carling pulls in local fence Ernie Dodds, as sawn off shotguns were found in the boot of his car when he was stopped for running a red light. Whilst interviewing the workers it transpires that Ted threatened to kill Saunders at the pub the night before. Ted confirms that he hated Saunders as he was a scab, but denies killing him. At in the morgue, Saunders's body shows several slash wounds, one to the left shoulder, one to the chest, and two to the right arm, suggesting a long blade was used. Gene and DS Carling return to the mill to check the Sikh workers' lockers for such a weapon, while Chris and Sam check through the textile workers' statements. Chris finds a statement by Lorry driver Martin Ellis who saw a stocky man running from the loom hall at 2.30 a.m. After getting a photofit image of the man fom Ellis, which is useless, Chris gets amateur charicaturist PC Mallows to redo it. Sam returns to the mill to check that Gene isn't planting a dagger in Bannister's locker. There they find blood stains not spotted earlier as Gene pulled the forensics team out too soon. Annie suggests using callico to lift an image off the floor. They find a size eight boot-print. Chris arrives with Mallows's drawing and it's a dead spit of Ted Bannister. Ted is arrested, and Gene puts Sam in charge of the Dodds case, but Sam immediately sets up a taped interview with Bannister. Gene arrives with a blood covered shirt found under the floorboards in Bannister's shed, and he confessess to killing Saunders with a knife, but Sam is still not convinced. DCI Litton tries to take over the Dodds case as stolen shotguns falls under Crime Squad duties, but Sam dupes him by telling him they were fake guns, and Litton backs off. Later, Dodds delivers the guns at the outside toilets of a cafe with Sam, Chris and Ray on hand to catch the blaggers, but they give them the slip. Derek Bannister is brought to see his father at the station. Sam believes Ted is covering for his son and the meeting will bring the truth to light, but the time of death proves that neither Ted nor Derek could have done it as they were both still at the pub at the time. Sam examines the looms at Crester's and discovers that Saunders wasn't murdered, but died when the belt of the loom snapped and killed him. Ted discovered the body and covered up the accident by fitting a new belt, fearing that a fatal accident would close the mill for good. Checking a taped interview with Tina Reed, Derek's girlfriend, reveals that she picked up the guns from the cafe and that that Derek intends to steal the wages from the mill. Gene, Sam, and the team go in "tooled up" and catch Derek and his accomplices in the act. Sam chases after Derek and a stand-off ensues. As the young man holds Sam and then Gene at shotgun point, Sam distracts him and Gene shoots him down. Derek and Ted have a reconcilliation in the ambulance afterward, and Gene and Litton have a punch up back at the station. Cast *Sam Tyler — John Simm *Gene Hunt — Philip Glenister *Chris Skelton — Marshall Lancaster *Ray Carling — Dean Andrews *Annie Cartwright — Liz White *Nelson — Tony Marshall *Phyllis Dobbs — Noreen Kershaw *DCI Litton - Lee Ross *Test Card Girl — Rafaella Hutchinson *Ted Bannister — John Henshaw *Derek Bannister — Andrew Knott *Tina Reed— Rebecca Atkinson *Mrs Bannister -- Denice Hope *Arthur Coynes -- John Axon *Dodds -- Warren Donnelly *Brian -- Nicky Bell *Pathologist -- Paul Leeming Cultural references *When Chris draws a very bad sketch of a crime scene, Ray tells him he should "send that into Vision On". Vision On (1964–1976) was a British children's television programme designed to be accessible to deaf children. The presenters were Pat Keysell and the artist Tony Hart who made pictures in every imaginable medium and encouraged children to send in their own paintings to 'The Gallery'. After Ray's remark, Gene finishes the line: "we can't return them, but we do give a prize for every one we show." *Tina says, "I mean not thin like Twiggy." Twiggy was the professional name of Lesley Hornsby, who became a 1960s pop icon and supermodel. She was famous for her androgynous look and extremely thin frame which has become the standard for catwalk models up to the present day. *Gene says, "Say Goodnight, Gracie." This was the signature sign-off of George Burns and Gracie Allen's later television performances and became part of the popular vernacular and the title of Rupert Holmes's 2002 play about the couple. *Hunt asks DCI Litton whether his fragrance is Blue Stratos, but Litton replies that it is Paco Rabanne. Blue Stratos is a men's cologne now produced by Parfums Bleu in the UK. The popular fragrance was launched in 1975 by Shulton Inc., the creators of Old Spice. Paco Rabanne is a men's cologne by perfumer Jean Martel launched in 1973. A classic, it includes notes of lavender, oakmoss, and tobacco. FIFI awards winner in 1975. *Gene first refers to himself as "The Gene Genie" in this episode. This is a play on the David Bowie song, "The Jean Genie", released in late 1972 and heard in Series 1: Episode 4. Hunt refers to himself as the Gene Genie more frequently in the sequel series, Ashes to Ashes and his character theme music on the later programme is an instrumental version of "The Jean Genie" (retitled "Gene Genie"), created by series composer Edmund Butt. Production Music *The Ballroom Blitz - Sweet *Gypsy - Uriah Heep *Wishing Well - Free *Head in the Sky - Atomic Rooster Anachronisms *The vehicle that Gene Hunt drives is a Ford Cortina Mk3. The registration plate, KJM 212K, shows that it was registered between August 1971 and July 1972. The vinyl roof and four headlights show that it was one of the top-of-the-range models and the GXL badge which is clearly shown in close-up confirms this. However, the vehicle has some strange anachronistic features. The dashboard is from the 2000E model, which replaced the GXL model late in 1973. Also shown in close-up is a badge composed of the letter "E" surrounded by a laurel wreath. This badge is also from the 2000E model. The car should not be carrying badges for both models, especially as the 2000E model was not released onto the market until six months after the time that the episode was set. *Dialogue in the episode states that the date was 16 March 1973. However, in the first scene, the song that is played on the soundtrack is "Ballroom Blitz" by The Sweet, which was not released until August 1973. *Sam conducted the taped interview, stating that it was 'Wednesday 16th March'. In 1973, 16 March was a Friday, not a Wednesday. However, 16 March was a Wednesday in 2005, the year the episode was written. *Hunt asks DCI Litton whether his fragrance is Blue Stratos, but Litton replies that it is Paco Rabanne. Blue Stratos wasn't launched until 1976. Goofs *In the scene where the guns are placed in the portaloo, there is a reflection of a Super Space-Cab Daf Truck (in the portacabin's window), but it was not released until at least 2001, yet the show is set in 1973. Category:Life on Mars (UK) episodes